Graham Norton's new gameshow, *The Neighbourhood*, just suffered a devastating blow—it's been yanked from primetime on ITV and banished to a graveyard slot. The premise sounds like reality TV gold: real families move next door to each other, then battle through absurd challenges like hunting garden gnomes and getting strapped to a washing line. Alliances form, betrayals simmer, and one household walks away with a jaw-dropping £250,000.
But from the moment it aired in late April, the show crashed and burned. Early viewers called it "dreadful" and full of "drivel." Ratings were abysmal: only 540,000 tuned in for the second episode—a far cry from ITV's sky-high hopes. By episode three, that number had shriveled to just half a million, performing worse than every single episode of *Celebrity Big Brother* that aired in the same slot earlier this year.
Then came the unprecedented move. In a stunning break from linear reality TV tradition, ITV dumped the entire series onto their streaming service. Now the show has been knocked from its Thursday and Friday 9pm perch. Starting tomorrow, it airs daily at a punishing 10:45pm (or 10pm on weekends) until it fizzles out entirely. In its vacated primetime spot? Repeats of *Long Lost Family* and *Beat the Chasers*.
An ITV spokesperson offered a tepid statement: "The full box set of *The Neighbourhood* is now available to stream on ITVX. Additionally, the show will continue to air in an evening slot." Translation: they're letting it die a slow, quiet death.
So what went wrong? Media experts are weighing in. James Buckley-Thorp, a reality star from *The Inheritance*, nailed it: "I’m 37. I remember when a host like Davina McCall on *Big Brother* made you think, 'I’ll give that a go because I like her.' That doesn't work anymore. Celebrity is so fractured now—you can't find one star who pleases the whole family." Talent manager Alex Segel added, "Before social media, there were only TV stars or film stars. Now everyone has a different version of fame. You all used to have to watch Graham Norton. Now you don't."
Fans are hardly surprised. One viewer wrote, "TV is allowing *The Neighbourhood* to die a slow death before its inevitable cancellation." Another admitted, "After watching two episodes, I clocked out." A third pointed the finger at the industry's desperation: "ITV spent a fortune marketing this. Something has gone terribly wrong. There’s such a clamour to make the next *Traitors*, and they can't even come close."
A few defenders emerged. "I finished the show the other night and it’s actually really good!" one fan insisted. Another sympathized with the network: "Tough break for ITV—I know they bet the farm on this." But the numbers don't lie. With a second season hanging by a thread, *The Neighbourhood* looks like a cautionary tale for networks chasing lightning in a bottle.
